


i don't know but i think i may be fallin' for you

by deathbysandblk



Category: Dead Poets Society (1989)
Genre: Fic Exchange, Fluff, Getting Together, Hot Chocolate, Ice Skating, It is cold outside so I needed warmth, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:27:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29425983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathbysandblk/pseuds/deathbysandblk
Summary: Charlie conspires with Meeks, Pitts, and Knox to get Neil and Todd together finally.
Relationships: Todd Anderson/Neil Perry
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	i don't know but i think i may be fallin' for you

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the Valentine's Day Fic Exchange 2021 over on twitter. I got @t0indeedbeag0d and I hope they like this fic! Song title comes from this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjeVCxLoCeY

Charlie had a plan. Neil and Todd had been doing this dance around each other for long enough and if they weren’t going to do anything about it, he was. 

He added himself, Knox, Pitts, and Meeks into a group chat.

**_Charlie’s Super Secret But Super Awesome Plan to Get N+T together_ **

<From Meeks> **I’m surprised the gc name didn’t cut off, yikes that’s a mouthful.**

<From Charlie> **Hush up, Meekalicious, my gc name is perfect.**

**<** From Meeks> **...Meekalicious. Please never say that again.**

<From Charlie> **What would you prefer? Meeksy? Stevie? Even Steven?**

<From Pitts> **Uhh, guys, you know I love and appreciate you, but given the name, the point of this gc is not to give Meeks a nickname...**

<From Charlie> **I can multitask, GerGer.**

<From Pitts> ….

<From Knox> **Umm, hello? I just got all these notifs. What’s going on, Charlie? Why’d you call us all here?**

<From Charlie> **Why, thank you for asking, Knox-in-a-box! I have an admittingly, somewhat devious, but awesome plan to get Neil and Todd together finally, and I need your help.**

<From Meeks> **I’m listening.**

<From Knox> **Oh yes, I’m so here for this! You know I love romance, but those two are driving me bonkers with their so-close-to-being-together-but-not-actually-together ness.**

<From Pitts> **How concise. Maybe Knox should write the next gc name.**

**_Meeks laughed at “How concise. Maybe Knox should write the next gc name.”_ **

<From Charlie> **Laugh it up. See if I invite you to the wedding.**

<From Knox> **As if you’ll have control over that.**

<From Charlie> **Hey, I’ll be solely responsible for them getting together, they at least will owe me that much. Also maybe choice over music.**

<From Knox> **Pitts, Meeks, remind me when I get married that Charlie is not invited.**

<From Charlie> **WHY ARE YOU BEING SO RUDE?!**

<From Meeks> **We have gotten WAY off track. Charlie, what is your plan?**

<From Charlie> **Oh yeah, so I’m gonna suggest we all go ice skating and we’ll all say we’re going, but then throughout the week, we’ll each bow out, saying something came up. In the end, it’ll just be me, Todd, and Neil, but obvs I’m not third-wheeling those two, so I’ll just give Neil the tickets and run away before he can chew me out for my trickery. It’s genius.**

<From Meeks> **I hate to admit it, but it kind of is.**

<From Pitts> **Agreed, there’s no way that won’t work.**

<From Knox> **I love love.**

<From Charlie> **Thank you all for boosting my ego. Now, let the plan commence!**

He then added them all plus Neil and Todd into a different group chat and said, “Yooo, the weather is perfect for ice skating and I’ve been really wanting to go, who’s in?”

Once everyone had said they were in, Charlie said he would purchase the tickets for them and they could pay him back later. Of course, everyone except Neil and Todd knew he was actually only going to be purchasing two tickets and no one else would be showing, but that’s what made the plan so great!

Throughout the week, each of the guys kept backing out of their plans, with excuses such as “too much homework” or “I forgot I have other plans” until it was just Charlie, Todd, and Neil who were still planning on going.

The actual day they had planned to go arrived and Charlie found Neil and slapped the tickets into his hands and said, “Good luck, man. Go get him, tiger!”

“Huh?” Neil looked at the tickets in his hand and noticed there were only two. “Charlie, aren’t you coming too? Where’s your ticket?”

“Nope, I’m not. Looks like it’s just you and Todd. Have fun!” He ran away with Neil calling after him, but Neil could get mad at him later, although if the plan worked, he’d be thanking him instead. 

Neil went back into their room to see Todd pulling on his coat and scarf. “Hey, Neil, is Charlie ready to go?”

Neil looked at the ground. “Uh, Charlie’s not, uh, he’s not coming. So it looks like it’s just the two of us.” He blushed. “I understand if you don’t want to go, now that it’s just me, but umm, we could still go if you would want to.”

“I don’t see why we can’t still go. So there’s less people than we originally planned, let’s do this!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Todd said, then looked at Neil hesitantly. “Are you?”

“Y-,” Neil cleared his throat. “Yes. Let’s go then.”

They went to the outside ice skating rink and presented their tickets and got their ice skates. There weren’t a whole lot of people around which was kind of nice, but also made Neil a lot more nervous because that would mean he and Todd were  _ alone  _ alone. 

Todd grabbed Neil’s hand and Neil froze in disbelief. Todd shot him a questioning look and then said, “Is this okay? I just, umm, haven’t ice skated before and I’m a little nervous of falling.”

_ I’m already falling, falling for you,  _ Neil thought.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

_ Oh shit, had he spoken out loud? Todd didn’t look like he had heard what he said so maybe he was in the clear. _

“Neil? Are you okay? You’re looking very red in the face.” Todd approached him and put his hand on his forehead as if to check for a temperature. It was a good thing he didn’t have a stethoscope or else he’d likely hear how fast his heart was pumping. Heck, maybe he could tell anyway. Neil felt it was all he could hear. 

“I’m fine. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just spaced out for a second. But yeah, holding hands is good. Are you ready to get started?”

“Yeah, sure.”

They started skating around the rink and although they had a bit of a slow start so they both could adjust to being on the skates, they got a good rhythm going and soon enough they were twirling around and goofing off and just having fun. Neil was starting to relax a little bit more. He was just hanging out with his friend Todd. There was no reason to be nervous!

Neil noticed that Todd kept close to him and it was kind of nice. If he closed his eyes, he could picture with their close proximity and their hand holding that this was actually a date. 

“Sorry if I’m too close, it’s just  _ so _ cold out here, don’t you think?” Todd asked.

“Yeah, definitely. It is pretty cold. Your ears are looking a bit red there, why don’t you take my hat?”

“Oh no, I couldn’t, Neil. Then your head would be cold!”

“It’s okay, Todd. I don’t mind. What do you say we finish up and grab some hot chocolate?”

Todd smiled widely at him and nodded in agreement. 

Soon enough, they were back into their shoes and headed to a diner nearby that served hot chocolate. They sat down across from each other in a booth and each ordered a hot chocolate.

“That was so fun,” Todd proclaimed once the waitress had taken their order and stepped away. 

“Yes, it was! We will definitely have to do it more often.”

“I’d really like that.”

The waitress brought their drinks to them and Neil was thrilled to see they were piled with whipped cream on top. He took a sip and Todd giggled, pointing out that he had gotten some on his nose. Neil reached for his napkin to wipe it off, but Todd said, “Allow me,” and then took his own and cleaned it off. “There, that’s better.”

The two of them sipped at their hot chocolates, just enjoying each other’s company, and when they were done, the waitress came by and asked, “One check or two?”

“Oh, just one,” Neil said. To Todd he said, “I’ve got this, don’t worry about it.”

Once Neil had paid and the two of them started to head back to school, Todd cleared his throat. Neil looked at him and he looked like he was trying to say something but the words just wouldn’t come out. Neil decided to wait, knowing if he gave him time, he’d find the words.

“Neil?” he asked nervously.

“Yes, Todd?”

“Was, umm, was that a date?”

Neil stopped walking, abruptly, and turned to stare at Todd. He opened his mouth to speak, but this time he couldn’t find the words. 

“I’m sorry, that was a dumb question. I just assumed because, you know, everyone “conveniently” backed out of ice skating, leaving just the two of us, and you let me hold your hand, and you bought my hot chocolate, but I see now that you were just being nice and a good friend, and-,”

“No, Todd, I’m sorry. I’ve been an idiot. Have you been flirting with me this whole time?”

Todd just stared at him, mouth agape. “Uhhh yeah? You really didn’t notice?”

“Oh my god, I’m  _ such _ an idiot.”

“So, it wasn’t a date then?”

“Well, no, but I mean, you wanted it to be?”

“Please don’t make me say it again. I feel foolish enough.”

“Ugh, I’m sorry. None of this is coming out right. I wanted it to be a date too!”

“Okay, so if you wanted it to be a date and I wanted it to be a date, does this mean we just had our first date?”

“Yes, I think it does,” said Neil and the both of them giggled in relief and elation. 

The two of them stopped giggling and just looked at each other. Neil whispered, “May I kiss you, Todd?”

“Yes,” he said and then the two of them were kissing. They only stopped when they felt it start to snow. 

“We should probably hurry back, we don’t have much farther to go,” Neil sat, putting his arm around Todd. Todd huddled in close to Neil, basking in his warmth and the joy of being able to do such a thing now. 

Neil thought back to Todd’s comment about everyone “conveniently” having plans when they were supposed to go ice skating and he said, “I just want to clear something up. I didn’t connive with everyone and tell them to not come ice skating, but I think I know who did. And I think I have a plan of how to get payback, if you’re in.”

Neil quickly explained his plan and Todd agreed. 

When they got closer to campus, they got as far away from each other as they could while it still looking like they liked each other as friends and they headed to their room. They were back maybe five seconds before Charlie knocked on their door. 

“Come in,” yelled Neil, who was sitting on his bed. Todd was reading a book on his own bed. 

Charlie came in and scrutinized them. “So,” he said, crossing his arms. “How was it?”

“We had a terrible time,” said Neil. 

“What?” Charlie asked, a frown etched on his face. 

“Yeah, it was pretty miserable out there. And we just couldn’t stop fighting the whole time. Neil kept tripping me on purpose.”

“For the last time, I didn’t trip you  _ on purpose _ ! It’s not my fault you’re clumsy!”

“I am  _ not _ clumsy! You know what? I don’t have to sit here and take this, I’m out of here!”

Todd picked up his book and left the room, a tiny smile overtaking his face when he knew Charlie couldn’t see it. 

“Neil, I’m so sorry, man. I had no idea it would be such a bad experience! I was just trying to get you two to admit your feelings for each other, I didn’t know it would cause a fight.”

Neil was smiling and laughing and said, “Oh is  _ that _ what you were doing?”

Todd, who hadn’t gone far, came back in the room and joined in. 

“He gave in so quickly! I didn’t know he’d admit it that fast.”

“Wait a second, what? What’s going on?”

“We knew what you were up to, Charlie Dalton.”

“So you weren’t fighting?”

“No, nothing like that.”

“So were you kissing at least?”

“Charlie, it’s not polite to kiss and tell.”

“Oh my god, so you did! It worked!”

“It may have worked, but let this be a lesson: stop meddling in other people’s love lives.”

“If the lesson is ‘Charlie is amazing and got Neil and Todd together and so he totally should have a career in matchmaking’ then absolutely, I’ve learned my lesson.”

Neil just rolled his eyes while Todd sat beside him, cuddling up to him.

“This is so cute, I need a camera!”

“Okay, well, thank you for visiting, but we’ve got stuff to do now. Bye!”

“Yeah, ‘stuff’,” said Charlie, smirking. 

“Don’t be gross. I just meant homework.”

“Yeah, yeah. Sure. Bye now! I’m happy for you two!”

Once the door closed behind him, Neil smiled and looked at Todd, saying, “I’m pretty happy for us too.”

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Find me on twitter @whaddyameanno or tumblr @makeyourlivesextraordinary and Happy Valentine's Day! <3


End file.
